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The media in
Manipur is today under a threat. The gravity
of the situation can be gauged from the fact
that six Editors were held hostage for one
night and they were released the next
morning only after certain conditions laid
down by the captors were fulfilled. We are
not only talking about the threat perception
that is felt over the personal security of
all the Editors, reporters or sub-editors,
but about the threat that is posed to the
fourth estate. The protest rally that was
staged on April 19, was to highlight the
hostage situation that has been enforced on
the media in Manipur.
This is not the
first time that the media in Manipur has
come under attack. Recently the general
secretary of the All Manipur Working
Journalists' Union was critically wounded in
a gun attack and the injured scribe is still
recuperating. The manner in which numerous
social organizations and civil societies
responded to the assault and held dharnas
all over the place to condemn the attack was
heartening.
However we would
like to add that the manner in which six
Editors were lured to the den of the captors
and then held captive is something
unprecedented in the State and today it is
not only about a threat issued against a
newspaper or a particular reporter or an
Editor but about the threat posed to the
functioning of the fourth estate in Manipur.
What are the
steps that can be taken up to ensure that
the newspapers and news channels in the
State are able to function freely without
such threats in the future is the question
that has to be tackled on a priority basis.
This question, we feel should be the concern
of not only the journalists but also the
concern of all voluntary organizations and
civil societies in the State. As we have
mentioned, the manner in which numerous
voluntary organizations rose as one to
condemn the attack on the general secretary
of the All Manipur Working Journalists'
Union was encouraging and we feel the time
has come again for such organizations to
come out and make their stand clear.
Manipur is not a
stranger to violence. There have been
numerous cases of abductions and people
being held hostages for ransom. Many have
been mindlessly killed and many more maimed.
Journalists have been attacked and injured
by both State and non-State actors, but this
is the first time that the media as an
institution is under threat today. This is
what is disturbing.
To ensure a free
and fair media is not only the
responsibility of the Government and the
ethical conduct of the journalists
themselves but calls for a more pro-active
civil society that should make its stand
clear on such a critical issue. Voluntary
organizations, civil societies, the meira
paibi movement, student organizations etc
have all been at the forefront when any
critical issue turns up and we would like to
say that such a critical issue in indeed on
us today.
It is time for
all the voluntary organizations and other
bodies to come out in the open and extend
their solidarity for a cause of a free and
fair media. The media which has taken up
enormous responsibilities in the past to
highlight issues which are important to the
people and the State today is under the
threat of being strangulated through the
muzzle of guns and muscle power. Surely
every responsible citizen of the land and
every responsible organizations of the State
have a moral obligation to ensure the safety
of the fourth estate. A healthy media is a
healthy reflection of society and everyone
has a duty to ensure this |
